Windows 9, price and Microsoft's Innovator's Dilemma

The details around Windows 9---code named "Threshold"---are beginning to emerge, but the real action will go well beyond features and whether Microsoft can put Windows 8 in the rear view mirror. Microsoft's real challenge with Windows will be navigating a classic innovator's dilemma and how it can thread a needle between preserving a cash cow and ultimately give Windows away to hardware makers.

Give Windows away for free?!? What?!? How?!?

That place is where Microsoft is going to have to go if it wants to preserve its Windows ecosystem and market share. And how Microsoft navigate that business model change is going to be telling. The folks in Redmond may laugh off the idea of giving Windows away for free to original equipment manufacturers, but the writing is on the wall. Consider:

• Apple doesn't charge for its Mac OS anymore. 
• Google Chromebooks have become more popular. 
• PC makers are now adding Android desktop systems because they can customize and probably get better margins. 
• Price will be king in the PC market and Android and Chromebooks could be counterweight to Microsoft. 
• Mobile operating systems are driving computing. 
• Windows 8 was a black eye for Microsoft and it's going to be a challenge to come back from a Vista-ish flop twice. 
• The PC market is being splintered into multiple operating systems.

When I consider those moving parts, it's not that surprising that Microsoft is having trouble naming a new CEO. It's going to suck to be the new CEO. For starters, Microsoft isn't that screwed up so a new leader can't be a hero. Think John Chen at BlackBerry. Chen has little downside. If he turns around BlackBerry he's a legend. If BlackBerry fails Chen carries none of the blame.

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Microsoft's new CEO will have to preserve two cash cows---Windows and Office---be saddled with low-margin Nokia and most likely keep the company together when a breakup may make more sense. With Microsoft more can go wrong on the new CEO's watch than go right.

Windows 9 comes into view: Microsoft to share Windows Threshold plans at Build 2014 show: Report | Should Windows consumer and enterprise flavors remain in sync? | Microsoft codename 'Threshold': The next major Windows wave takes shape 

In Clay Christensen's books on innovation there's a theme that plays out repeatedly. A leader in an industry is threatened from below by rivals. Those rivals use price as a weapon and gain share. The leaders move upstream to preserve margins. The upstarts move upmarket and the leader has no space to maneuver. An example of this scenario was the U.S. auto industry as Toyota and Honda entered the market. The PC and server markets are also examples as contract equipment players ultimately become brands.

Speaking at the Gartner Symposium and ITXpo in 2011, Christensen noted:

"If you're worried about what may kill you, look down."

Down to Microsoft's Windows is Android and Google's Chromebook franchise. Chromebooks have become more popular and functional. Android is emerging as a PC option. Both of Google's computing operating systems are free to hardware makers. Microsoft can pitch Windows as a premium OS, but the margins will be increasingly difficult to defend.

The move for Microsoft will be to off Windows free to hardware makers and profit from the ecosystem---subscriptions, apps and other revenue streams. Here's the problem: Windows is a huge business. Microsoft will have to preserve and navigate a move to free with precision timing.

In a research note a week ago, Stifel Nicolaus analyst Brad Reback made the case the Windows will eventually be free.

Today, when looking at the aggregate OS market (phone/tablet/PC), Microsoft is the only vendor that explicitly charges for the OS software. We believe this could prove untenable in coming years, forcing Microsoft to give away the OS and attempt to monetize Windows usage/support via various methods depending on the end-customer. We believe this is the single biggest challenge Microsoft's new CEO will face in coming years.

At the very least, Windows average selling prices will tank. There's no other outcome. To fend off Chromebooks and now Android, Microsoft will have to give concessions to hardware makers so they can offer sub $300 devices. Reback argued that Microsoft's OS license fees will fall to $10 to $30 for each device down from $40 today. Those concessions, however, are just the beginning.

Reback continued:

Over the medium to longer term, we believe Microsoft will be forced to follow Apple and Google and give away the OS, especially in the consumer market, and use services like Bing, Skype, Office 365, etc. as its primary monetization engine. That said, we expect Enterprises to continue to pay for support via various enterprise agreements.

The good news for Microsoft is that it'll be able to milk Windows on the enterprise side for the foreseeable future.

Frankly, I don't see many holes in Reback's case. The only debatable point about Windows going free for the consumer market is timing. This chart tells the tale:

Why Google's Chromebook Is Better than Windows, Mac and Android

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Public perception typically lags reality. As such, there are still a lot of people who don't know anything about Google's (GOOG_) PC operating system, Chrome OS.

They don't know what it is, or why they would want it. They haven't tried it.

Yet, at the same time, Google's laptops -- made by Samsung and Acer -- are now the two top sellers on Amazon.com, and six out of the top 14 are Google Chromebooks. Talk to many schools and you'll see them either throwing out Microsoft (MSFT_) and Apple (AAPL_) products already, or plotting to replace them with Chromebooks in the next year or two.

The overall market impact is clear: Windows PCs have been in decline for over a year, perfectly mirroring the increase in Chromebooks sales. Mac PC sales have ceased to grow, and can barely stay flat even with the "halo" drag effect from iPhones and iPads.In other words, whatever one's personal opinion about the quality and suitability of the product, the rapid rise of Chrome OS from a non-entity to material sales success is undeniable -- and you're not a denier, are you?Still, to many Americans, Google's PCs are a mystery. They've never used one. It's a little bit likeTesla (TSLA_): What's the big deal? "You're telling me that it's better, but I don't get it."

While there is no substitute for actually trying the product, I will try to sort out the two main questions most people tend to have about Chromebooks:

1. Why would I want a Chromebook when I can just run Chrome on my Mac or Windows laptop?

2. Why is Chrome OS better than Google's other operating system, Android?

Let's start with the first one: Why is Chrome OS better than Mac and Windows?

How to get an Approved Adsense Account in 1 hour?

I am not publishing much articles these days because I am busy in designing templates and completing the requests of my clients. Today, I have got some relief and thus publishing an important article about getting an Approved Adsense Account in 1 hour. I was getting several request, Where user asked me to provide some easiest method for getting an Approved Adsense Account.

Image Credit- web Matser Facts

Google Adsense is undoubtedly one of the best Ad network for bloggers and Web Masters but getting an approved adsense account was never an easy procedure. However, those days are passed and now, You can get an Approved Adsense Account in 1 hour. Isn’t that unbelievable? But it is true. In this post, I will show you “How to get an Approved Adsense Account in 1 hours?”

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How to get an Approved Adsense Account in 1 hour?

You can get an Approved Adsense Account in 1 hours through the help of YouTube Monetization method. The whole procedure is shown below:

• First of all, Create a New GMail Account.  If you haven’t used your Old GMail account for Monetization then you can also use your Old account as well. If your country is not supported by Adsense then choose a country like US and UK, while creating New GMail Account.
• Login to your “YouTube” Account by visiting https://www.youtube.com/
• Visit http://youtube.com/account_monetization
• Enable “Monetization” for your YouTube Account. The screenshot for doing the same is given below:

• After that, You will have to “Accept” all terms and condition. The screenshot of the same is given below:

• Finally, Click on “Monetize” Button. The screenshot of the same is given below:

• After doing that, You will receive an EMail in your Inbox.
• Now, Upload a Unique video in your YouTube Account. While doing that, Don’t forget to add appropriate description and Tags for videos. Wait for the upload to get completed. Once done, Publish it.
• To associate an Adsense Account, Visit https://www.youtube.com/account_monetization and expand the topic “How Will I be Paid” and click on the link “Associate an Adsense Account“. The screenshot of the same is given below:

• Now, You will be redirected to a screen, Where you will have to set up your Adsense Account. Click on “Continue” button for filling your other details such as Address, Country, Payee Name etc

• After clicking on “Continue” button, You will see the below given screen. Enter all details correctly.

• After filling all details, Click on “Submit” button. Wait for 1-2 hours. You will get an EMail containing the details of  an Approved Adsense Account. Hurray….Hurray…enjoy.

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How to Use this Adsense Account for Displaying in your Blog and Website?

• Login to your Adsense Account
• Click on “Account Settings” option on Home Page. The screenshot of the same is given below:

• Move to “Access and Authorization” section. You will find this section at the end of “Account Settings” Page.
• Click on “Edit” link which appears next to “Only host sites are allowed to show ads for your account” option.
• Now, Add the url of your website(where you want to show Ads) on “Show Ads on Other Website” Page. You have done most of your work.
• Finally, Create an Ad Unit and implement the code in your website.. Enjoy.
• If you want to display Adsense Ads on Blogger Blog, Simply Associate your Adsense Account with blogger.

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From the Editor’s Desk

The above described method for getting an Approved Adsense Account in 1 hour is the easiest one. Anyone can easily get an Approved adsense account. The method is tested and 100% working. However, Always follow the terms and condition of Adsense otherwise they will ban your account without any pre-warning.

Simply Give it a try and post your comments.

How to Verify AdSense Account without PIN?

Those of you're working with Google AdSense should know, AdSense account needs to be verified by a PIN Number. AdSense sends the PIN number in your postal address. And then you have to enter the PIN number in your AdSense account settings. If postal communication is okay in your area, then it's very easy for you to verify the account. Unfortunately, if your postal service is poor, wouldn't you be able to earn through GoogleAdSense? 



Why you Need to Verify PIN Number? 

Traditional payment system of AdSense is Check. When you request for payment, Google sends check to your postal address. That's why you need to ensure the AdSense team that your address is correct. When you get the letter from AdSense including PIN number, then Google sends check to your address. 



If you can't Get the PIN Letter? 

It's very natural that you could miss the PIN letter. That's why Google gives you three chances to request for AdSense PIN letter. That means you can request the PIN number for three times. At best three letters will be issued for you. If you're not as unlucky me, you should get the PIN.



Three Times Failed! How to Verify PIN? 

Let's come to the point. My today's post is all about this! I've applied for the PIN numberthree times. But I haven't got it yet. But I've verified my AdSense Account without PIN number! This is called manual verification process. 



Manual Verification Process (No PIN Required)! 

As there are some other options to get your money from AdSense, the use of PIN number is not mandatory I think. Even Bangladeshis can now withdraw their money through bank accounts. 

But AdSense team doesn't like to remove the PIN verification feature to ensure the safety of your account. If you can't enter the PIN number even after trying for three times, thenAdSense may consider your issue. 

Suppose you've tried your last chance for getting the PIN number. Now go step by step: 

1. You will get an option at the page where you're supposed to verify the PIN.
2. You will be required to describe your problem in details. Within few hours you will get a confirmation message that your problem has been forwarded to the concerened authority. 
3. Or contact directly through this email: adsense-support@google.com
4. Hopefully AdSense team will contact you within 24 hours. They may ask your Govt. Issued ID Card with your Payee Name and Postal Address (As shown in AdSense account). If your AdSense account address is different from ID card, then you can use utility bill's copy which has the same address as shown in your AdSense account. Upload the scanned ID Card with Utility Bill if necessary. Send it to the above AdSenseSupport Email. 
5. Remember, the language of your ID Card and Utitlity Bill Copy should be one of theSupported Languages of AdSense. Otherwise AdSense Team might not be able to verifyyour account. 
6. After sending your National ID Card or Electrict Bill or Gas Bill to the AdSense Team, you will get another email within next 24 hour. If AdSense is satisfied, your account will be verified without PIN! Believe me - I've made it!

Secret Tips:

Suppose your Govt. ID Card is not issued in one of the supported languages. Will you try to manually edit the ID? Sounds bad - but not bad at all! Suppose your National ID is in Bengali or Hindi. You can just edit your Name, ID Number and Address and rewrite these in English. But make sure that AdSense will not be able to detect it. Otherwise your account may be suspended. 

Energy Saving Tips for Winter

It’s cold in here!  Can’t we turn up the heat a little?

That’s a great question – one that we hear often this time of year.  Although it doesn’t seem like increasing the temperature in your home by one degree is much of a change, it is important to realize that there is a cost associated with even the smallest heating adjustment.  When you multiply that small change by the volume you are trying to heat (floor space in square feet multiplied by the height of the walls) you realize that you are actually talking about a significant amount of air.  Then you have to remember that the air is constantly changing through outside doors opening and closing and normal “breathing” of a building.  That requires more energy for heating.  Then finally you have to take into account the efficiency of your heating unit (furnaces, boilers, space heaters, log-burning stoves, etc…).  All those separate factors combine, resulting in a significant cost to adjust that heat “just a little higher.”

As a company that improves the quality of life by providing integrated facilities management services to partners across the country, including college campuses, corporate buildings, hospitals, retirement communities and K-12 schools, my area of focus, Sodexo uses our talent and expertise to create the optimal environments for our partners’ needs while being as efficient as possible.  In doing so, we’ve created some simple tips that homeowners can use to save energy and money during winter months.

Setting Temperature

First, the most efficient way to heat your home is to set your heating system to between 66 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.  You can then use a humidifier set to approximately 40% humidity, and keep outside doors and windows closed.

Doors & Windows

If you have storm doors, do not use them as your primary door.   They allow more heat transfer because they are not designed to be your primary door.

If you feel cold air coming from around your doors and windows, apply weather-stripping or use a window seal that encloses the entire window and attaches to the window frame on the inside.  If you have storm windows, ensure that they remain closed during the winter.

Proper Maintenance

In preparation for the winter season, have your heating system checked to make sure it is functioning properly.  If it is uses gas or heating oil, make sure the burner is cleaned and properly adjusted for greatest burning efficiency.

Heat is moved by the air that is warmed in the heating system.  When filters are dirty, they restrict the flow of air and affect the ability of the system to control the temperature.  Make sure that you check filters regularly and change as suggested on the label.  Clean filters not only save money, improve energy efficiency, and keep temperatures at the right level; they also significantly improve the health of the building.

Lighting

In addition to thinking about heating-related energy savings in the winter, it is also the best time of year to think about artificial lighting.  Since there is less daylight throughout this season, we use more artificial lighting in winter than at any other time of the year.  Try using energy efficient light bulbs, specifically compact fluorescent lights (CFL) or light emitting diode (LED).  Not only do these types of bulbs use less energy as they operate, they last longer than normal incandescent bulbs.

Have a safe, warm and energy-efficient winter!

Marketing Your Blog in Market

With so many blogs being created every day, it’s a mystery to many bloggers how to make their blog stand out. There are many types of blogs or purposes for blogs and a certain number of tactics are applicable to just about all of them.Some companies choose to hire a blog consultant, but others like to try things internally. For those “DIY” companies and individuals interested in practical tips for marketing and optimizing a business blog, try out the following list of blog marketing and optimization tips:

1. Decide on a stand alone domain name www.myblog.com or directory of existing site www.mysite.com/blog. Sub domain is also an option blog.mysite.com. Avoid hosted services that do not allow you to use your own domain name!
2. Obtain and install customizable blog software – WordPress and Moveable Type are my favorites.
3. Customize blog look and feel templates – aka design.
4. Research keywords and develop a glossary – Keyword Discovery, WordTracker, SitePoint, SEOBook Keyword Research.
5. Optimize the blog:
   • Template optimization – RSS subscription options, social bookmark links, HTML code, Unique title tags, URLs, Sitemap
   • Add helper plugins specific to WordPress or MT
   • Create keyword rich categories (reference your keyword glossary)
6. Enable automatic trackback and ping functionality.
7. Create Feedburner Pro account and enable feed tracking.
8. Setup a Google account for Sitemap, validate and prep for future submission.
9. Identify authoritative blogs, web sites and hubs for outbound resource links and blogroll.
10. Format archived posts, related posts.
11. Enable statistics for tracking – Google Analytics, ClickTracks.
12. Submit RSS feed and Blog URL to prominent RSS and Blog directories / search engines.
13. Engage in an ongoing link building campaign.
14. If podcast or video content are available, submit to Podcast and Vlog directories.
15. Submit blog url to paid directories with categories for blogs – Yahoo, BOTW, bCentral, WOW, JoeAnt.
16. Optimize and distribute a press release announcing blog.
17. Request feedback or reviews of your blog in relevant forums, discussion threads. If you have a resourceful post that will help others, point to it.
18. Research and comment on relevant industry related blogs and blogs with significant centers of influence.
19. Post regularly. If it’s a news oriented blog, 3-5 times per day. If it’s an authoritative blog, 3-5 times per week, but each post must be unique and high value.
20. Monitor inbound links, traffic, comments and mentions of your blog – Google Alerts, Technorati, Blogpulse, Yahoo News, Ask Blogs and Feeds.
21. Always respond to comments on your blog and when you detect a mention of your blog on another blog, thank that blogger in the comments of the post.
22. Make contact with related bloggers on AND offline if possible.
23. When making blog posts always cite the source with a link and don’t be afraid to mention popular bloggers by name. Use keywords in the blog post title, in the body of the post and use anchor text when you link to previous posts you’ve made.
24. Use social networking services, forums and discussion threads to connect with other bloggers. If they like your stuff, they will link to you.
25. Remember when web sites were a new concept and the sage advice to print your web address everywhere you print your phone number? The same advice applies for your blog.
    =============
26. If your blog’s goal is to promote you as an authority, interview other prominent bloggers in your industry. Your own credibility will improve by association.
27. Build out your online networks through services such as MyBlogLog, Twitter and Facebook and leverage them to promote particularly useful content on your blog.
28. Once your blog has 1000 or more subscribers, show your Feedburner badge
29. Host images with Flickr making sure to include an anchor text link in the image description back to the post where the image is used.
30. Use your blog to gain press/media credentials at relevant industry conferences and use the event to create content, connections and increase your knowledge.

This post was originally published on June 15, 2006 and has continued to receive many inbound links. As time changes, so do some tactics, so we’ve added a few tactics (after original 25) that have emerged in their usefulness. What would you add to this list?

How to Remove Advertisements from Websites

Web users divide online advertisements into two types:

• Good advertisements: those which are available only to people who actively want to see them, like the classified ads in the old Yellow Pages.
• Bad advertisements: those which are forced onto people’s computer monitors without permission.

Unsolicited Advertisements are Annoying

Surveys show that most web users very much dislike unsolicited advertisements on websites (evidence here and here). Unwanted advertisements are widely considered to be intrusive and irritating, and can be a real nuisance if you have a slow internet connection. The majority of print and television advertisements are also unwanted, but for some reason they are less strongly resisted than their online equivalents.

Advertisements are Easy to Eliminate

Fortunately, it is straightforward to configure web browser software to remove almost all advertisements from any website. There are two basic methods:

• Eliminate the source of the advertisements.
• Disable the mechanism that puts adverts onto a page.

1: Eliminate the Source: Use an Adblocker

Most advertisements are hosted on specialised websites rather than the web pages they actually appear to be on. You can prevent these specialised advertising websites sending their advertisements to your computer by using adblock software. All the major browsers have some form of adblock software available:

• AdBlock Plus: add–on for Firefox.
• IE7Pro: multi–purpose add–on for Internet Explorer (not just version 7).
• Chrome Adblock: add–on for Google Chrome.
• Safari Adblock: add–on for Safari.
• Opera has an adblocker built in.

Each adblocker requires you to actively subscribe to one or more lists of websites which serve advertisements, and allows you to over–ride these lists if you wish to receive advertisements from certain sources.

2: Disable the Mechanism: Use NoScript

Most advertisements are inserted onto web pages by JavaScript. NoScript, an add–on for Firefox and Chrome, allows the user to block JavaScript, as well as Java, Silverlight, and that greatly abused source of animated annoyances, Flash. NoScript is probably the most useful single addition to any web browser.
NoScript allows you to over–ride its default settings and permit certain scripts on specific websites. Most shopping cart checkout systems, for example, require the use of JavaScript.
NoScript is currently available only for Firefox and Chrome. Opera has some similar capabilities built in, but it appears not to be quite as effective as Firefox with NoScript. At the time of writing, there is no sign of anything being developed for Safari, although Click to Flash does an excellent job of blocking Flash on the Mac OSX version of Safari. There is nothing promised for Internet Explorer.
By combining NoScript with an adblocker, you will get rid of almost all unwanted online advertisements.

Some Advertisements Will Get Through

These methods cannot eliminate every single advertisement. If an advertisement is incorporated into a web page in the same way as any other piece of text, there is nothing you can do to remove it. But adding advertisements in this way is a very labour–intensive method, and is used rarely. Almost all advertisements are vulnerable to the methods described above.
JavaScript and Flash are sometimes used to enhance websites with certain inessential features, such as decorative animations. You may also come across the occasional website that misuses JavaScript or Flash to create essential features such as navigation menus. Some websites are even constructed entirely using Flash. In these cases, you will need to change NoScript’s default settings to allow scripts in particular cases. That is, if you want to — any website which is made entirely of Flash probably isn’t worth visiting.

Security Benefits

JavaScript and Flash do not just place advertisements in websites and thence onto visitors’ computers. They are also used to transmit malicious software. The use of NoScript and ad–blocking software will prevent a lot of nasty stuff ending up on your computer, and should be part of everyone’s internet security practices. For the majority of knowledgeable web users, NoScript in particular is more of a security tool than anything else.

If Adverts are Eliminated, Who Loses?

There are lots of pros, but very few cons:

• Advertisers will lose, but not by much. Unwanted, speculative advertisements have a much lower success rate online than in print or on television. The average click–through rate for online advertisements is less than 1%, according to this article. In other words, fewer than one in a hundred website visitors will actually go to the bother of clicking an advert in order to visit the advertiser’s website.
• Website owners who host advertisements won’t lose much either. The low click–through rates, combined with prices of just a few pence per click, mean that revenues for non–classified advertising are poor. Because intrusive advertising often causes visitors to leave a website, the removal of advertisements may well benefit the website’s owner by increasing the number of pages viewed on each visit.
• Purveyors of malicious software will get fewer victims.